Why did I ask child number 1 to suggest a subject?

One of the great things about moving abroad is that there are less distractions to keep the family apart.  We are living in an apartment which is big, but because it is on one level, it is much harder for us all to hide in our individual rooms.  Although I have always stuck to my guns on the no TVs in children's bedrooms, there was one in mine and in the sitting room, so the family could scatter to watch what they wanted.

I have also realised how much I could distance my husband, who is not a great TV watcher, because I love it so.  It led to quite a few rows which I always ended up feeling hurt after.  Why should I not be allowed to sate my need for escape?  I always knew, deep-down, that my reliance on it was bad.  It did stop me doing new things, simply because I felt I did not have the time for them.  The old saying that  moderation is the answer, really is the key.  Now we are here, only the programmes I really enjoy, are alluring enough to make me search through websites to watch them in snatches.

How, I hear you asking, has this got anything to do with child number 1.  Well a few nights ago, on an evening which at home we would have been inside watching TV, we were outside on the balcony.  The husband and Number 1 Child were playing Chess, I was reading and Number 2, was already in bed.  My blog came up in the conversation and I suggested number 1 child think of something to base my 5 positive things on.  I haven't let the children read the blog because, somehow it doesn't feel right, but I talk about it with them.  I think it is very important for them to know that their parents too have to keep struggling to make their lives the best they can be: that hard work and determination don't end when you leave the classroom.

Child 1 went quiet and then smiled, "I know", he said, "how about football".  His, face cracked in a devilish grin, obviously thinking he had come up with a subject so difficult that I would finally have to retire beaten into the ranks of ex-bloggers.

Five positive things about football - at first sight this does appear fiendishly hard.  In our arguments about TV I have pointed out that the husband can easily watch hours of sport. Football, golf, tennis, snooker - it really doesn't matter.  His answer is always that it isn't TV, its real life.  This would always provoke the stock girly answer that its not real life, its normally men hitting balls of different sizes around different courts.  I will never pretend to understand the allure of football completely.  Don't get me wrong, when the husband and I were first going out, I did really enjoy the matches we went to see.  We lived together through the ecstasy and the agony of most of Euro '96 and we went to some great matches around the UK.  Being part of the atmosphere, the noise and the emotion, and being able to see the real skill of the players, was a great experience.  But, I would be lying if I said that I was terribly upset when the national side got knocked out of the world cup, or the team I sort of support, lost again.  It would give a moments regrets and then it would pass.

But, just because I don't understand it, doesn't mean its not important to the men of my family.  My son has recently rediscovered football, having lost interest for a while.  I fell in love with the football loving man so why should I seek to change this part of his character, even though I will never understand it.

So, at the risk of howls of laughter from any passing male into sport, here are my .....

Five Positive Things About Football

1. When the lines of communication are hard to keep open between teenage son and father, a mutual love of football can be the bridge that keeps the traffic flowing
2. Standing on the touchline, cheering on your children, both boys and girls, is a great way to show you care for them
3. Playing football can be a brilliant way to learn how important teamwork is in life
4. Its a universal language which bridges the gaps between the Egyptian street child and the expat
5. The Italian Football Team!

With no apologies for no 5, Persephone in Cairo